Train-controlling means.



A. J. ALLARD.

TRAIN CONTROLLING MEANS.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.4,1911. RENEWED JAN128,1913.

Patented Apr. 29, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

JuNm

INVENTOR iNLSSES (1% M7427 v? A. J. ALLARD.

TRAIN CONTROLLING MEANS.

APPLICATION FILED 1130.4. 1911. RENEWED JAN. 28, 1913. 1,06OA04.

Patented Apr. 29, 1913.

I/NVENTOR 2 SHEETS-SHEET Z.

A l/ornzy UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFIOE.

meow 'J'. 'ALL'aan os monmmsvmrm; "assrenoa on one-mien to 'r. 1*. casesarm one-ramp r0 1),; magenta-impel arcmvronn; vmemm.

' ''rsam oon'raoimrnemsans flpeoification'ot Letters Iatent.

Patented Apr. 29, 1913.

Application filed December 4,1911, Serial No. 688,7.[Rbi1e'vved January28,1918. Serial No. 744,788.

his inventionrelates to improvements intraincontrolling means, and moreparticu larly tosuch as are adaptable foruse in a; block si alingsystem. 1

One 0 ject of'my resent inventionis to provide means contro led by'theposition of a semaphore block signal for causing the automaticstopping-of atrain whena=semaphore is set at danger. "f A 'furtherobject is i to. provide means for? automatically stopping a-trainifthe'en i neerignoresa danger'si al located at t eside'Of the road at alock intersection, switch, bridge, curve or other danger "point; alonthe line ofrailroad'. t 1th these and other objects in view,.-the-' ofconstruction/and combinations 1- or parts its-hereinafter set forthand'rpointed'outrinthe'claims '1' I 1- 'In' the accompanying drawings,"Figure- 1 is a sectional view showing. thejinstrumentl carried by;thmrolling equipment; 'Fi v2 is on elevationtakeni atright angles to ig.1' with some: thocasing removed; Fig is a vio'w'showingthe-track'instrum'cnt and also the relation thereto of the instrument onthe'rolling' equipment. Fig.4 is'a' lan' view showin =thetrack'instrument an 'thes relation of t e same tothe track rail, and; Fig.o-is adia'grammatical view.

n gdescribing -my improvements ---I will: assume that thesemaphore-signal'biade I is. located at the intersection of two blocks..Inthe diagram. Fig. 5, track rails 2-3 ofadjacent blocks' are insulatedfrom each other'at/ 4-whi1e the track railb ma be continuous. f The.instrument -carrie a-aby -the i-rollin'g equipment comprises Ia" metalbox or? casing-.- 6 in ,-whiclr the operating =devices, are-"vineclosedyandxthiskbox is :providedon its back with serrated portions ('7to r en age serrated" portions- 8 of :a bracket-9, the 0x bein'g3se--cured to'the bracket by means of' bolts 10 pas sin throughthe back walla the box and-t ran 11 elongated slots 11 in the bracket.' '1 einstrument is thus-supported by the bracket in a manner to ermitvertical-adjustment of-the same re ativel to u track-instrumenthereinafter describe The bracket-9 is made with arms 12 which aresecured to but insulated from vthe truck frame 13 of the rollingequipment.

This may be one of the truck frames of the 10c0 motive tender.

The equalizer pipe 14.- of the air brake systempasses throu h thebox orcasing 6 and is provided,in t e latter, withv a valve 15.

An arm 16 is secured to the stem of valve 112 and is provided in itsfree angular and, with anangular slot- 17 torthe assage of a pin 18whereby said arm-is loose y connected -:Viththe shan 9 is 19-01 a shoe20. The shank ided throughanopening in a horizonta partition 21 and acollar 22 on said partition, and is provided withan annular ange 28' torest on-said collar and thus limitthe-downward movement of the shoe'20., The'shoe is guidedqthrough an elongated= slot in the bottom ofthebox or; casing "andjitsvertical movement is resisted by ainvention-consists! 1n certain novel features spring.- 24 whichencircles'the shank 19,-

'saidspring-1bearingt at its lower and against v the'itop'o a ain'stthevpartition- 21'. The-shan of the the-shoe and-at its up er end '3oe-is made with a vertical groove 25, forming a lower shoulder 26 andan-upper: shoul- The box or casingO is provided therein with a verticalwall or partition 28, through unopening in which a horizontal rod 22)passes. This rod also passes through the annularfiange 22 so as toenga ethe'shank 19-of'the' shoe'20 and isof sufhcicnt'lcngth to alsoz passthrough the front wall-of the box or casing 6,--0utsideof which latter,said ro(l'is .provided with a handle 30. An L-shaped lever 30" ismounted at the upper end'of thepartition 28 and-has its dependingarm-pivotally connected with the rod 29,-"the horizontal arm'of thislever bcina rovided-with a weight 31. The weighted 1 ever: '80 actsto-normally press the rod 29 toward the shank 19 of the shoe so thatwhen the shoeis raised (as-hereinafter explained) to open the equalizervalve 15 for applying the trainbra tcs, the :end of said rod willengage-the upper shoulder 27 of the shank 19, and'thus lock said valveopen,thus

; lition 28 also supports an electro-magneti' :12,-in 'front'ofiw ich,an'iarmature 83 is ivotally supported at. its'lower end., Theupper, endof the armature-B3 is I connected with one end of,"' a "'rod'--34fwhichis"freely" movable through an, opening in thevertical partition 28 andconnected with a' latch 35. This latchis pivotally-v 'attech'edatits-u'pper endto the partition 28 and its weight is 5511f. iicie'nt tocause ittonorinally hang with its -.-a lower end but 'pf'alinementwith'the lower shoulder QGbf-thelshankf-lt) and to hold the movement ofthee armature 33 away from thema et 32 when the latter is not energized.W en the mag not is energized, however, the movcment'of armature 83toward the magnet, will )be transmitted through the rod 34 to the latch-35, so as todispose the lower end? of the latterin position to beengaged by the shoulder QBand-thus prevent sufficient upward oe 20'tooperate thevalve 15. One terminal of the coil of ma net 82 isconnectedbyia conductor 82 with t e casing (3, and! the'other terminal 'of=said'coil'is consj' nected by a conductorv 32 with'the truck-13:; When isafety conditions exist on 'th'efiroad at'za block intersection, the'magnet 82 will be'fenergized (as hereinafter "exp ained).j when.atrainfipasses i from one. bloc other 'soas to prevent the operation ot"the e ualizer valve,-and thus prevent the'ap-jf p ication' oftheibrakes when'it is safe-for train to proceed,"

Located" Uif proxi to the track raili 5',

near ya block signal '1, 1s a track instrument 36 to'coiiperate with{the-shoe :]of the" in'ey' strumenton the rolling equi ment; -This trackinstrument "may, as aw ole; be .l frolil f; two to three hundredfeet-(more oriless) "inf lengthand comprisestwo-fixedrails 37- 38supported'on 't1mbers39 and having their 1 er faces in :a planeslightly. above that r 0? thetread'of-track rail 5 ;and ,having theirouter ends curved downwardly as at to; facilitate the riding of the shoe20 'ontogthefl same, I and said track instrument i also com-T prises twointermediate sections 141- 42 iinged at the inner, ends ofthe' contactrails 37-38 and -pivotally connected i at their in ner ends by means of'a'pin 43,.the'section'41 havingan elon 'ated-slot'44 'forthe passage ofsand pinyw ereby said sections 41-42 can be depressed against theresistanceoi a spring 45 which bears against a oke46 in whichu-the innerends =of-the rail sections Near:- the I block signal 1 azbatterv 47located and 1 one terminal-pf! this battery v is 41- -42arepivotallyconneeted connected, by a-conductor 48', with" the" track I instrument'36." The,."other '*terminal of; the battery 47' is connected by acondu'ctor 49 to any with. alfiiied switch arm 50. A pivotedswitch1arIn-51 is adapted to cooperate with the switch arm 50 and isheld normally out of engagement therewith (as shown in Fig. .-means of aweighted lever 52. The

mova le arm 51 of the switch is connected,

by -means of conductors 53-54 with the "track rails 23. A lever 55 ispivoted to a support 56 near the signal blade 1 and is "connected'withthe latter by means of a rod "57. One end of the lever 55 is in positionto engage the switch arm 51 and move it lnto contactlwith switch arm 50to close the circnitof battery when the signal blade moves from dangerposition shown in Fig. 5, to

safety position. The other end of the lever 56 is connected with theplunger of an air ot 58 for cushioning the movements of the ever.

Assumin that the signal blade 1 of the block signa ing system is atsafety,-thc switch arm 51 will be in contact with the switch arm 50, andthe battery 47 will therefore be connected with the rail sections 2-8.Should a train now arrive at this block intersection, (from eitherdirection) contact "of-the shoe 20 with the track-instrument rails-or,sections 37 or 38 a circuit would be established, 1 as follows conductor48 to track instrument 36, to shoe v20,to box creasing 6; then byconductor 32 to',-.'rnagnet 32; then by conductor 32", to truck 18, torail section 2 or 3; then b con- ,ductor53 to switch arm 51 to switc50110 battery 47 The "efiect of this circuitirom battery 47 by armwillbe to energize the magnet 82 and cause itltomove thelatch' 35' inthe path of the (shoulder 26, and .thus

grevent the .shoe 20 being-raised sufiiciently y the track instru- Lme'nt tooperate the valve 15, the track instrument, in such case,yielding downwardly; The 'train can, therefore, pass @withouthaving'itsbrakes a plied.

'-'. Suppose. now that the s1 been]raised to danger position as showngnal blade has in Fig.'-5 by reason of the presence in the block, 'of atrain. Under such conditions,

-theeircuit of'the battery 47 will be open at ;50-'-51.- The shoe 20 on'a second train now arriving at the signal station,-would not, by contactwith the track instrument, close the circuit of battery 47 through themagnet 32, a'sqaboveexplained, and hence the latch 35 will beout'ofalinement with the shoulder 26ofthe shank of the shoe. As thesecond train-proceeds, its shoe 20 will be forced Iu wardly by theintermediate sections 4 -42 ofthe tracltinstrument and motion will betransmitted, through the arm 16 to valve.15 to open the latter and causethe automatic setting of the air brakes and the sto ping of the train.The valve will be ice edin such open position b en agement ofthe-rod 29with the upper s oul er 27 on To unlock the valve the shank of the shoe.

and permit the parts to return to their normal posit-ions, the trainmanmust leave the cab and pull the rod 29,-whereupon the valve will beclosed and the parts returned to normal position by the action of thespring 24.

It is apparent that with my improvements, a train cannot pass a dangersignal without having the brakes of the train applied automatically.

It is apparent that various changes might be made in the details ofconstruction of my invention without departing from the spirit thereofor limiting its scope, and hence I do not Wish to restrict myself to theprecise details herein set forth.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters-Patent, is

1. In train controlling means, the combi-' nation with rollingequipment, a controlling valve on the rolling equipment, a track and ablock signal, of a vertically movable shoe carried by the rollingequipment and connected with said valve, a track instrument for movingsaid shoe upwardly, a latch for restricting'the upward movement of saidshoe, electro-magnetic means for moving said latch to position tocooperate with the shoe, and means controlled by the block signal forcontrolling said electro-magnetic means to control the position of thelatch.

2. In train controlling means, the combination with rolling equipment, acontrolling valve thereon, a track and a block signal, of a verticallymovable shoeon the rolling equipment, an arm on the valve and havinglost-motion connection with the shoe, a

spring normally pressing said shoe downwardly, a track instrument forraising the shoe, a latch to limit the upward movement is not energized,a partial circuit including said magnet, shoe and rolling equipment, apartial electric circuit including a rail of the track, the trackinstrument and a'bat tery, a switch in said last mentioned circuit,means connected with the signal for closing said switch when the signalmoves to safety, and means for opening said switch when the signal movesto danger.

3. In a train controlling means, the com-- bination with rollingequipment, a block signal, and track rails, of a box or casing, meanssecuring said box or casing to a truck of the rolling equipment, a traincont-rolling valve in said box or casing, a vertically movable shoecarried by the box or casing, means connecting said shoe with the valve,a track instrument for moving said shoe upwardly, electro-magneticallycontrolled means for limiting the upward movement of the shoe to preventthe operation of the valve, a partial circuit including the magnets ofsaid electro-magnetically controlled means, the shoe and the truckframe, a partial circuit including a battery, a switch, a track rail andthe track instrument, and means controlled by the blade of the blocksignal to close' said switch when the signal moves to safety position.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presenceof two subscribing witnesses.

ANDREW J. ALLARD. Witnesses M. J. NUoKoLs, WM. P. REDD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Iatenta,

Washington, D. C.

